Turkey time and looking back
It has finally happened: the first day off in my Christmas break. The last (full) working days of the year have passed by last week in a rush. End-year stress in one of the projects we are involved in, last steps of strategy/planning for the foundations I work for, checking in with all of my colleagues, the usual that most of you will recognize I guess..But sitting on the sofa, thinking back on a successful year for ourselves, you realize that it has been a strange year, business wise. The crises period of the previous years was still very much all around and still we were able to grow?! We had a good 2012, but starting last January, it was not at all sure how much we would be able to keep up with that trend. In hind side it is easy to conclude that 2013 was even better than the year before, but it took real focus and strategy. For myself I think we can conclude that 2013 was somewhat of a turnaround. My own time directly involved in clients' projects has been reduced. I wanted (and heard: needed?!) to make myself more available for strategy, new business, product development and vision forming. Struggling with all kinds of questions, I tried to evolve myself over the past 12 months from an entrepreneurial procurement consultant, into a business leader in procurement consultancy. There is of course still a lot to learn, the ones that really know me will be sure of that, there is much more to take in and even more to digest. But the first confidence is there that we are heading into a distinct and successful direction! This feeling shows in the growing pile of orders toward 2014..
Considering a little wider circle than only our little firms, I started wondering how others in (procurement) consulting have dealt with getting out of the crises, or are still dealing with it. Fortunately, Google has the answer as Always. There and then it struck me. How little entrepreneurs are actually able to change their ways.. So many of them have started a business based on professional skill alone, they had learned an (often great!) trick before and started doing that, and doing that successfully. But then economy struck. They keep on doing the same thing and doing it harder and faster to keep up with the slowing down numbers. But is that an answer to survive? The few main things that I recognized while reading were the following:
1. Growth in the business stopped by anxiety and lack of focus.
2. Innovation in the business stopped by capacity drain to catch every billable hour possible.
3. Sales opportunity slows further and further down by the previous 2 points.
4. And then there is the changing customer perspective in consulting, that is a wrecker all alone.
...I know, all in all no rocket science for the experienced organizational advisors out there, but still four main points that I am proud to say we have broken with during the last year. We were able to create room to work, create ability to focus and ability to think. These 'simply' paid out!
All fair, I did not do this all alone, besides our own hard-working winners, I used some strategy advisors and outside-perspectives to reach to this point. Helping me make decisions, reminding me of the things "we" have said... But it is a nice conclusion to draw at the end of a year. We had a plan, started in 2012, saw growth, drafted a better plan for 2013 and stuck with it.. Now the plans for 2014 are final, brushed up and ready to roll!
To all our business relations, we hope that 2014 brings the same insights, but first a Merry Christmas!
Doede van Haperen
www.lakran.com
www.postulit.com
